Blaxploitation Films: A Gallery Of Film History

BLAXPLOITATION films of the 1970s showed black people on the big screen as the stars of the show. The working class characters were larger than life. The films were cheap to make, and with their lurid colours, confused plots, clownish costumes, absurd lines and jarring scene changes they looked it. Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree, Vonetta McGee and Pam Grier (NSFW) were big names in the movies. The women were gorgeous, feisty and sexy. The men were muscular and tough.

You might wonder why the word “exploitation” was used to describe such films as Black Dynamite, Blacular and Shaft. The films starred a black cast. But were they exploitative? No. They gave black stars a chance to perform and entertain. Blacks got to see people who looked like them being something more than a wise maid or a magical fool.

We’ve pulled together a gallery of some of the greatest films of the genre. Enjoy. What’s your favourite?